Shoe vamp



c. H. DANIELs 2,165,092

SHOE VAMP Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 8,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoe uppers or parts thereof, and pertains more particularly to the fabrication of vamps for shoes.

Shoe vamps or other upper parts have heretofore been fabricated from threads or cords which have been woven or netted into a sheet-like material, but these materials have been so soft and pliable that they were not form-retaining when built into a shoe and consequently required separate and additional reinforcements in order that the shoe upper would maintain its desired shape and appearance.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a fabricated vamp or upper which is sufficiently flexible to permit the material to be assembled with other shoe parts by the usual lasting operations, but which is relatively stiff, durable and form-retaining in use and which does not require supplemental support or reinforcement when built into the shoe.

This object is efciently and economically attained by fabricating the upper material from a suitable filament which has been stiffened by preliminary treatment with a hardening solution or composition which is sufficiently flexible or resilient to admit of proper fabrication by hand or by machine.

The filament used in making the material may be cotton thread, cord, twine, yarn, round leather strips or any other flexible strand or fibre which is preferably substantially round in cross-section and has adequate tensile strength for the purpose. The filament may be twisted, braided or felted, and its diameter may vary within wide limits, according to the texture and effect desired.

In accordance with this invention, the filament is coated or impregnated with an adhesive cement or stiffening preparation, such as glue, pyroxylin, enamel, varnish, rubber or other sub- Ystance, which preferably adheres to and covers the surface of the filament and which has suicient inherent flexibility or resilience to allow the treated filament to be worked and fabricated Without cracking the surface coating. The stiffening solution or compound should dry hard and should be unaffected by moisture or by the heat of the foot.

In the case of the leather cord or filament, a narrow, flat, leather strip is preferably treated on its flesh side with cement (for example rubber or pyroxylin cement) and then passed between forming dies which curl the flesh side inwardly and mold the strip into a round cord with the grain side on the surface. A fine thread, also coated or impregnated with the cement. may

1935, serial No. 44,037 (ci. :is-45) be incorporated as a reinforcing core in the leather cord during the molding operation, the round leather when combined with the core will have sufficient tensile strength to be worked by hand or machine into a fabric without breakage. 5'

The treated or stiffened filament is next fabricated, either manually or mechanically, into a sheet-like material suitable for shoe Vamps or quarters or panels thereof. The method of fabrication is optional; the filament may be knitted, 10 woven, netted, plaited, embroidered, crocheted, braided or otherwise formed into an open-work fabric. When the fabrication is performed by hand, the shape of the sheet-like material may be made to conform to the contour of the vamp or other upper part( which is desired; and the edges finished off in any suitable manner such as by cementing or stitching the edges to pre- Vent fraying; whereas, in machine manufacture, the material may be turned out in the form of a 20 continuous sheet or tube and then cut to provide the shapes required, the edges being cemented, stitched, bound or otherwise reinforced to prevent fraying, if necessary. In the latter case, the sheet is preferably marked to define the contours of the upper parts and then stitched around the markings before the parts are cut out, so that the edges will be suitably bound without subsequent operations thereon. If the fabricated pieces are carefully handled the binding of the edges may not n be required.

The fabricated Vamps, quarters or other upper parts are then ready for assembly in the shoe, in accordance with customary shoe making methods, and may be united with similarly fabricated parts or with other materials in making the complete upper. Special linings or other reinforcements are not needed to maintain thejorm or shape of the improved, fabricated material, but the usual counters and/or box toes may be incorporated in the shoe if desired.

When a box toe is combined with a fabricated vamp, the free edge of the box material is Preferably attached to the vamp by an overcast stitch, latch needle seam, or other binding means. In case the vamp is fabricated by hand, the filament may be passed through the edge of the toe stiffener during fabrication, thus producing a preunited vamp and box.

Although it is believed that the subject matter of this invention will be apparent from the foregoing, optional forms of shoe vamps fabricated in accordance with the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawingin which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vamp fabricated from a coated filament by embroidering the filament and finishing off the edges of the shaped vamp;

Fig. 2 is va fragmentary view of a vamp fabricated by knitting the coatedfilament and then cutting out the shape of the vamp and binding the edges to prevent fraying or raveling.

Flg. l3 is a fragmentary view of a fabricated vamp attached to a perforated box or toe stifener.

Fig. 4 is a View pf a coated or impregnated filament .prepared in accordance with this invention, a portion of the coating being broken away;

Fig. 5 is a section of said filament;

Fig. 6 is a view of a round leather cord prepared in accordance with the invention, a part of the leather being opened up to show the reinforcing core; and

Fig. 7 is a section of the cord shown in Fig. 6.

In the form shown in Fig. 1, the periphery II of the embroidered vamp I2 is finished off, as aforesaidfduring fabrication thereof; whereas, in Fig. 2, the cutedges of the knitted vamp I3 is bound by a seam orstitch as indicated at I4. This binding may be applied before or after the vamp has ben cut from the fabricated web or sheet, as explained above.

One type of filament used in making the vamps of Fig. 1 or 2 is shown in Fig. 4, and comprises a textile thread, cord or the like I5, which may be impregnated with pyroxylin, or other stiffening preparation (so indicated by the stippling in said figure), and also coated with the-stiffening composition, as shown at I6. This coating is applied entirely around the filament throughout its length, so that the fabricated vamp will have a smooth and uniform appearance, 'Ihe coating may be white or of any desired color, and of such a character that it does not mar, crack or chip off during fabrication of the vamp or during normal wear of the shoe in which it is embodied.

The round leather cord of Figs. i6 and 7, comprises a narrow strip of leather I 'I having a rubber or pyroxylin cement applied to its inner or flesh side I8; and a centralthread or core I9, impregnated with the cement IIv'he edges of the stripare rolled over the cord until they abut each other at 20 (Fig, 7), through the use of suitable moulds or dies between which the leather ystrip is drawn to form the round filament. The core is used to impart tensile strength and may be omitted if desired. -The round leather cord may be embroidered as in Fig. 1, or knitted by hand or machine, as in Fig. 2. Although the leather cord and extends aisance is preferably round it may be fiat or become fiat after it has been formed into the' fabric.

In Fig. 3, a fabricated vamp 2I is attached to the straight or free edge of a box toe or stiffener piece 22 by passing a filament 23 of the vamp through the apertures 24 along said edge. The vamp may be attached to the perforate or irnperforate box toe in various other ways. For example, the knitted fabricvof Fig. 2 may be secured to the box toe by an overcast stitch or by the use of a latch needle or otherwise.

Although it is preferable to coat the thread or filament before it is formed into the fabric, subsequent treatment, such as by spraying the openwork fabric vamp or other part of the upper with the stiffening preparation, may be practiced as I believe it is novel in this art to use an openwork fabric such as embroidered or knitted material as a part of a shoe upper which will retain its shape without reinforcement when lastedA into the shoe as a result of a stiffening treatment.

The coated filament or leather cord should be sufiiciently smooth and exible for machine work such as for use in a knitting machine, but it may be found desirable to apply a thin coating of a lubricant such as parafiin tothe coated filament or leather cord before it is fed into the machine.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided a fabricated vamp or other upper part which presents the modish appearance and airy comfort of open-work or ventilated materials, while preserving the shape-retaining properties of a continuous piece of leather, without requiring special linings or other reinforcing backings. It will also be understood that my inupper parts, as well as the article itself, and that vthe details of process or apparatus may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

1. In a shoe, a fabricated vamp composed of filaments, a toe stiffener, and a filament passing through the free edge of the toe stiiiener and connecting said edge to the vamp, the connecting filament constituting one of the filaments of the fabricated vamp.

2. A shoe upper part comprising an openwork fabricated vamp and a perforated toe stiffener, said vamp and toe stiifener being secured together by a filament of the fabricated vamp which passes through perforations of the toe stifiener.

CLAUDE H. DANIELS. 

